When friendships TURN TOXIC

Holly and Phil prove that not all best friends are for life

- VERONIQUE HAWKSWORTH, MONICA CAFFERKY

After presenting This Morning together for more than 13 years, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have finally gone their separate ways. At times their friendship seemed perfect, with the pair falling into fits of giggles together on screen and even jetting off on holidays together. But all good things must come to an end, and rumours brewed of offscreen tensions for months prior to Phil's seemingly sudden departure from the ITV programme last month.

Following Phillip's announcement, Holly shared a sweet tribute on social media, saying that 'the sofa wouldn't feel the same without him' - but sources close to the pair revealed their friendship had turned sour behind closed doors.

When we think about break-ups, our minds jump to romantic relationships, but in reality, friendships can be just as fraught with arguments and heartbreak, and sometimes, they're just as beyond repair. Woman takes a closer look at what happens when a friendship breaks down...

'WE HAVEN'T SPOKEN FOR THREE YEARS'

Monica Cafferky, 53, lives in Huddersfield with her partner, John, 61.

Until we fell out, my best friend Helena* was by my side for many of my big life events. We enjoyed a trip of a lifetime to Hawaii together, celebrated my first job after university and partied on our birthdays. We first met in 1993 aged 23 via a mutual friend, and from the get-go we clicked. I loved Helena's dry sense of humour and her fun personality. We saw each other every Friday and Saturday night, often meeting for lunch, too. We were constantly in each other's lives and I couldn't imagine being without her.